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Saturday, July 31, 2010

I squeaked in another July OPAM finish before the end of the month! Whew!

I finally finished this pair of socks I have had on the go for over 6 months! This pair was for a pattern I am making (two at a time on one needle). It is much more fun to make socks with self patterning yarn or hand dyed, but I thought this plain colour would be better for the pattern. The wool is Scheepjes Invicta Extra, 75% wool and 25% nylon.

Friday, July 30, 2010

This is a pattern from Bella Moon (from Vancouver's The Cloth Shop). It is like a four patch in a four patch. The pattern calls for fat quarters (20 or 38), I only had 12 FQ's (from April's Bali Club - also from the Cloth Shop) . The quilt top came out to 48" x 66" - a nice lap quilt size. It was very easy to make and there was only a few scraps of fabric left!

They are 12" blocks, in a 4 x 5½ block layout.

Another quilt top waiting for quilting. I will have lots to do in the fall!

This year I decided to put all the roses in the garden together. When I moved them I added Epsom Salt to the soil and this year the roses have never looked better! Tons of blooms!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

I finished sewing the layer cake quilt (Diamonds at Large from the Layer Cake, Jelly Roll & Charm Quilts book).

The blocks all ready to be sewn together.

I will use flannel for the back of this lap quilt, still don't know if I will use wool or cotton batting. I think I will wait to machine quilt it.

The other day we had a rain/thunder storm with lots of hail. This picture was just as the hail was starting. I had to stop taking pictures and wipe up all the water that was leaking in our new window!! They are coming to fix it again tomorrow - third times a charm (I hope!). Luckily we didn't have too much damage - just broken plants.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Today is the draw for the $40 GC for CSN stores.Thank-you to everyone that entered!

Very technical I know!

I am thrilled to announce that the winner is the very talented Cyndi from BLUEBIRDSWING! Congratulations!

Coincidentally Cyndi also suggested a great name for the little Schnibbles quilt, so I am going to call it "My One and Only"! Thanks Cyndi!

I have been working on the Romanian Point Lace - 4 more flowers and only 8 more to go (along with meters of braid and filling in stitches).

I think I will work on filling in the some of the areas now.

I started making a new quilt too! "Diamonds at Large" is from the book "Layer Cake, Jelly Roll & Charm Quilts" by Pam and Nicky Lintott.

It is very easy and only takes one layer cake (border, binding and all) to make a 45" x 60" quilt. The layer cake is Harvest Home by Blackbird designs (Moda). I bought it on special from Hamels, when I went to a quilt show this spring (it is still listed for the same price on their web site - $32).The pattern calls for a layer cake with a strong light/dark contrast and this one doesn't really have it, but I am hoping that it will work out. I liked the idea of making something with just a layer cake - so I am trying it out!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

I finished quilting the border on the little Schnibbles quilt. I drew the vein for the center of the feather and then did the loops free hand. I did a wavy center line but then did loops to fill the width of the border.All the machine quilting is finished!!

Sewing on the binding. Regular Aurifil thread and a walking foot.

Hand stitching the binding to the back.

The little Schnibbles is all finished!! I am really pleased with how it turned out. I can see why people are so addicted to them. It was a lot of fun to make and the pattern was so well explained.

I think I am going to call it something like "Standing Out in a Crowd" or "Shining Star" because of the darker star in the center. If any one has any suggestions - that would be great.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

I finished machine quilting the main part of the little Schnibbles quilt. I think I will do some feathers in the border.

I used two different quilting designs in the four patches. The one in the stars is an idea from Ferret Fabrications, from her Holiday Starrfire quilting video on her blog. The design in the plain four patch is what I think is the design in the book. I felt that since the four patch and triangle designs were so angular that I needed something softer for the background. I used a standard meander design for it. All free hand on my home sewing machine. I might pencil in the center of the feathers in the border to try to make it even. Might!! Rarely do I draw a design first! I'll see how I feel when I get started.

These flowers are one of my favorite - must have - flowers! They are Night Scented Stocks. They close during the day and open up in the evening, and give off the best scent! I usually plant them near windows and doors so the smell can come in the house. They are great to add to cut flowers too. I usually combine these in pots with other flowers, since they can be a bit straggly looking.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

My youngest helped pick out the quilting pattern from some samples I tried and I think he made a good choice. I am using Invisafil thread (100wt) with an #80 Microtex needle. I used Warm and White cotton batting for this quilt.It has been a while since I did some free motion quilting and I had forgotten home much fun it is! It probably helps that this is just a little quilt.

Monday, July 19, 2010

A while ago I was asked to host a giveaway for CSN stores linking to their bed store. I thought that the joys of Summer would be a good enough reason to have a giveaway!! CSN will be giving a one-time-use $40 gift certificate for any of the over 200 CSN stores! (Please be aware that you may be responsible for shipping and international fees.) I have ordered from CSN and was very pleased!

Now on to the Joys of Summer!

I have been enjoying spending time with my family -

Bike rides in the country

gardening -

and of course - quilting!

The little Schnibbles all ready to be quilted!

How to enter (up to 3 entries with 3 separate comments) -

1. Leave me a comment on how you are enjoying your time.

2. Let me know that you are a follower (you can become one if you would like).

3. Mention this giveaway on your blog and let me know.

Be sure I have a way of reaching you to let you know you are the lucky one!Entry deadline is Sunday July 25th at midnight. I will make the draw next Monday (July 26th, 2010). Good Luck!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

I decided to join in all the fun over at Charming Chatter and signed up for the Charming Girls Quilt Club.

This year Kelly decided to have bi-monthly goals/priorities. This seems very manageable, and I think will be another great motivator for me. The goals for the two months can be more than just quilting goals - another great idea. There is also other fun stuff, like quilt alongs, swaps, and sewing parties. So/sew much fun!!There is also monthly themes. This month it is "Self Care". That is something I definitely believe in! It is important to take time for yourself so that you can be the best that you can be!

My goals for the months of July and August are to finish this little Schnibbles quilt. Today I sewed all the blocks together.Next month my family is taking a vacation to another country - so my goal is also to experience the joys of another culture, and to see if we can improve our lives because of it.I also want to make another little bag.Just three goals for these two months, not much. I spend lots of time in the summer enjoying time with my family, and outdoors.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Sew, Mama, Sew has asked people to answer a few questions about their thread collections. Since I come by my blog name honestly (my oldest child named it), I have quite a thread collection! They are giving away a couple of beautiful new Amy Butler and Kaffe Fasset thread collections. You can never have too much thread!

Here goes!

How did you select colors for your personal thread collection?Mostly I just buy thread that I like and colours that catch my eye.Do you always match the color perfectly to your project?Very rarely. Usually I find that colours on a quilt blend well. I use lots of variegated thread too.Do you ever use contrasting thread?Yes, when I want something to pop out.Do you use the same color in the bobbin as the upper thread?Probably 80% of the time. When I am piecing I try to, but when I am quilting I find that it doesn't always matter. If the tension is correct I don't usually have a problem.What if a fabric has big areas of very different colors?I think that the thread used for quilting is supposed to enhance the finished project and so different colours don't bother me. If I don't want the thread to be so noticeable I use a very fine thread (100WT).Do you have any tips or suggestions about choosing thread?Try many different threads to see what you and your machine like. I also try out different sewing needles (different types and sizes). For hand sewing there is a lot more freedom to experiment with many types of thread.Can you show us a picture(s) of your thread collection?Probably too many! Hello, my name is Joanne and I am a thread addict...! (pictures at the end)Do you ever buy thread because you fall in love with the color (without a particular project in mind)?Is there any other way to buy thread?Do you “invest” in thread?I have recently started to buy more expensive threads (silks, fine cottons, ...) and am amazed at the different results.What types of thread do you have? (elastic, quilting, all-purpose, wool, etc.)So many! Mainly different weights of cotton for machine sewing and hand sewing. I also have silks (again for hand and machine sewing). I have started using a very fine (100wt) polyester thread for machine quilting - it has the same look as fine silk thread, just much cheaper. My machine doesn't seem to mind that polyester thread. Usually it has troubles with polyester thread.I also have lots of hand embroidery (and tatting) thread. I have been embroidering for about 30 years, so have threads have accumulated (multiplied?)!

I have this little table that a friend and I made out of an old cash register's drawers (dated 1914, from a store on Portage Ave, Winnipeg). They were in the garage of our second house. We added legs, table top, back and replaced a drawer front. It is fantastic for storing embroidery threads (and one drawer for beads - Crazy Quilting is still one of my favorites!).

I am embarrassed to say that there is more! Mostly different embroidery threads - I used to do much more embroidery, now quilting seems to have taken over! Embroidery is still my favorite thing to do while sitting in front of the TV, or when I need a project to take-along.

Carrying on the Tradition

The old quilts on the right side of my blog header photo are ones made by a couple of great-grandmothers, a grandmother and an aunt, plus some of their photos and some of their quilting supplies. The quilt in the background and the ones on the left are mine.